Ornamental fabric and method of making the same



Patented Nov. 4, 1930 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI CE' CAMILLE DREYFUS AND WILLIAM R. BLUME, 01 NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOBS TO CELANESE CORPORATION OF AMERICA, 'A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE OBNAMENTAIJ FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME No Drawing.

This inventionrelates to theproduction of brocade or differential luster elfects on fabrics of simple weave which fabric is made of yarns containing organic derivatives of' 5 cellulose, whereby lusters are produced on the fabric which are not appreciably afiected by the ordinary laundering processes.

An object of our invention is to produce matte effects by the use of a water insoluble paste containing a mineral effect material.

A further object of our invention is to produce differential lusters without recourse to elaborate weaving processes, such-as by means of Jacquard looms, on fabrics containing 7 yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose by the use of the matteprinting paste. Other vobjects of our invention will appear from thefollowing detailed description.

In accordance with our invention, We treat a fabric, containing organic derivatives of cellulose with a paste containing a mineral efi'ect material and a Water insoluble material that is dissolved in a solvent that does not have an appreciable solvent action on the organic derivative contained in the fabric, and preferably, but not necessarily, a plastifier or softening agent to impart suppleness to the film produced from the paste. The fabric to be treated in accordance with our invention may contain yarns of any suitable organic derivatives of cellulose such as cellulose esters and cellulose ethers. Examples of organic esters of cellulose are cellulose acetate, cellulose formate, cellulose propionate and cellulose butyrate. Examples of cellulose ethers are ethyl cellulose, methyl cel-' luloseand benzyl cellulose. The fabric may consist of yarns madeof one or more of these organic derivatives. The fabric may also be a mixed fabric containing yarns of any of these organic derivatives .of cellulose and yarns made of other fibres such assilk, cotv 1928. Serial N0. 288,530.

as zinc oxide or barium sulphate. If colors aredesired, any suitable colored pigments.

such as is used in the paint art'may be employed. The printing paste may also contain, if desired, dyes for the fabric to be treated. I

Any suitable water insoluble material may be used as thickener in the paste. While we have found cellulose nitrate to be preferred, other materials such as cellulose .ethers may be employed. However, it is important to use as the thickening material a substance which is soluble in some solvent that does not exert an appreciable solvent action .on the organic derivative of cellulose contained in the fabric.

:The solvent for the water insoluble matter that maybe used in preparing the paste as an ingredient of the paste, a solvent concresyl phosphate, dibutyl tartrate, diethyl phthalate, triaceti'n, etc. One or more of these plastifiers may be used. If desired medium and/or high boiling solvents may also be added.

The paste may be applied over the whole surface of the fabric to be treated, in which case a fabric of uniformly dull luster will be obtained. If differential luster is desired, the

matte printing paste will be applied local- I 1y by any suitable method such as by printing with engraved or embossed rolls, plates or blocks or y brushing or spraying through stencils having appropriate designs therein. The paste may be applied to a fabric that has a normal luster with eminently satisfactory results. However, for soft handle,the paste is preferably applied either locally or over the whole surface of a fabric, which has been previously delustered by any appropriate process, since delusteredfabric has a softer handle than fabric of normal luster. As an example of a mode of delustering a fabric consisting of yarns of cellulose acetate, it is pointed out that the treatment of this material with wet steam or hot water at or near 100 C. will produce satisfactory delustered efiects.

When the matte printing paste is applied locally over delustered fabric containing cellulose acetate, the unprinted portion of the fabric may be relustered by any suitable method. Since this application is not limited to the method of relustering such fabric, only a few methods of doing this will be described. The treatment of the fabric with dry steam above 100 C. will cause suitable relustering. In general the treatment of the fabric with substances that are capable of forming solutions with the organic derivative employed in the fabric will cause relustering of the same. Examples of such materials are aqueous solutions of formic acid, acetic acid, succinic acid, citric acid or sulpho cyanide such as sodium, ammonium or calcium sulpho cyanides. Likewise other organic substances such as aniline, phenol, aqueous acetone, etc. may be employed.

Where the matte paste has been applied to the fabric a dull matte effect is produced, which does not become relustered by the ordinary treatments to which fabrics are subjected, such as laundering, which includes both washing and ironing.

The fabric may be dyed prior to or after application of the paste, and the paste may contain differently colored pigments and/or dyes, whereby the designs that are produced are accentuated both by difierence of luster and by difference of color. Merely by way of illustration and without limiting our invention thereto the following specific examplc is given.

Example A satin fabric made wholly of yarns of cellulose acetate and which has been previously dyed a golden maize color, is delustered by exposing the same to the action of wet steam somewhat below 100 C. The fabric is then locally printed with a matte printing paste consisting of cellulose nitrate, zinc oxide and a mixture of ethyl alcohol and ether to form a composition of the required consistency. For imparting suppleness to the printed portion, a suitable plastifier in amount equal to 1060% of the weight of the cellulose nitrate may be added to the paste.

After the paste on the fabric is dried, the

printed fabric is padded or printed over its entire surface with a relustering agency con= taming:

Parts Calcium sulpho cyanide 300 Water 100 Gum arabic (1:1) 600 or else the relustering agency may be made up as follows:

P ts Acetic acid 1 to 50 Wheat starch thickening (15%) 7 0 Water 0 to 20 After the application of the relustering agency, the fabric is dried and steamed. The

part of the fabric that is printed with the matte paste is protected against relustering while the unprinted part becomes lustrous.

There is thus produced a fabric having a 'dull figure against a golden lustrous background. If desired the background may be printed with the matte paste and designs left unprinted, whereby the reverse effect is obtained.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Having described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Method of producing matte effects upon fabrics containing organic derivatives of cellulose comprising delustering said fabric and then applying to said fabric a paste containing a water insoluble thickening agent, a pigment, and a solvent for said thickening agent which is a nonsolvent for the organic derivatives of cellulose contained in the fabric.

2. Method of producing matte effects upon fabrics containing cellulose acetate comprising delustering said fabric and then applying to said fabric a paste containing a water insoluble thickening agent, a pigment and a solvent for said thickening agent which is anonsolvent for the cellulose acetate contained in the fabric.

3. Method of producing permanent matte effects upon fabrics containing cellulose acetate comprising delustering said fabric and then applying a paste containing cellulose nitrate a softening agent, zinc oxide and a solvent for said cellulose nitrate which is a nonsolvent for the cellulose acetate contained in the fabric.

4. Method of producing brocade effects on fabrics containing cellulose acetate comprising delustering said fabric locally, applying a paste containing a water insoluble thickening agent, a pigment and'a solvent for said thickening agent which isa nonsolvent for the cellulose acetate contained in the fabric and then subjecting the fabric to -a relustering agency. 

